


A little coffee with your sugar?

by LightsUpInTheNorth



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: A lot of sweet food is mentionned, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, And acts like a dumbass, Baker!Billy, Billy is a disaster, Billy's POV, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, He has a big fat crush on Steve, Heather and Robin are fed up with their stubborn friends, M/M, Pining, Steve also has a big fat crush on Billy, Steve has the sweet tooth to end all sweet teeth, Teacher!Steve, The second part is in Steve's POV, because he can only charm people when he doesn't really care about them, coffee shop AU, fair warning it might make you hungry, which is tragic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-25
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:15:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23755225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LightsUpInTheNorth/pseuds/LightsUpInTheNorth
Summary: “How about some coffee in your sugar?” Billy asked in a deadpan voice.He didn’t mean to be rude. Billy was a ‘live and let live’ kind of guy, and he was more amused than offended by Pretty boy’s tastes, even if the mere thought of drinking such a concoction was enough to nauseate him. However, he couldn’t help that his tone was curt when he addressed him. First, Billy had to interact with the customers without having had time to mentally prepare for it beforehand, and second, he was out of sorts because of how hot the guy was. The truth was that, if Billy could usually charm the pants off of anyone, he was absolutely useless when it came to men he really did find attractive. Life was a bitch, sometimes.
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Robin Buckley/Heather Holloway
Comments: 16
Kudos: 177





	1. This shit is bananas

**Author's Note:**

> Hey folks! I'm new to the fandom (I'm super late to the party, I know), and I'm really excited! This is my first coffee shop AU (which is very surprising considering my love of AUs ah ah). 
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy :)

As the only baker of the Upside-Down Café, Billy usually kept to the kitchen. And he liked it that way. So, when Heather barged into his sanctuary, interrupting him in the process of frosting a three-layer chocolate cake to let him know she was leaving and he had to replace her behind the counter, Billy was not happy. 

“Why in the world are you leaving this early?” 

She always stayed until closing. 

“Are you serious? I told you last week I have a dentist appointment. You said you’d be okay.” 

Had he really said that? Well, that had been a big mistake. 

The thing was, he had not been listening properly when Heather had told him about her appointment. He had been in the middle of decorating a batch of sugar cookies with rainbow icing (because he was gay and did what he wanted), which was the kind of delicate work he had to focus extra hard on. He had trouble controlling his strength, sometimes, and that could lead to accidents. So, when he’d registered Heather had finished talking and was waiting for a reply, he had nodded and said “okay” without knowing what he was agreeing to. He could have asked her to repeat, but it got on her nerves when he did that. According to her, he was doing it a bit too often. It wasn’t his fault she always tried to make conversation when he had to focus on a complicated task. Come to think of it, maybe she was doing that on purpose to get whatever she wanted from him. Billy wouldn’t put it past her: she was devious enough to come up with such a tactic. 

“Okay… well, see you tomorrow then.” He tried to act cool and unaffected, but his dread was hard to hide. 

“Oh, don’t be a drama queen. You’ll survive. Have a wonderful afternoon serving our dear customers!” 

Billy groaned. She was really laying it on thick. 

“I wish you have cavities.” He said meanly. 

Heather laughed, showing perfect white teeth that could have starred in a toothpaste commercial. The audacity! Why was she even going to the dentist? 

Billy took his time finishing the frosting after Heather’s departure. Tuesday afternoons were slow, anyway. He had to put the last touch in a hurry, though, because the bell above the front door chimed, indicating the arrival of a customer. 

Billy exited the kitchen with the cake, so he could put it on display before taking the customer’s order. He had to multitask now that Heather had mercilessly abandoned him. Traitor. 

“Hi, welcome to the Upside-Down Café, what can I do for you?” He asked dispassionately, not even looking at the person on the other side on the counter. 

He could lay on the charm as well as the next guy, but at the moment his whole attention was on the triple layer cake he was trying to squeeze between the apple pie and the cinnamon rolls displayed behind the glass case.

“Well I do feel properly welcomed, Hargrove. You might even want to tone the enthusiasm down a bit. Wouldn’t want you to come off as overeager.” 

The sarcasm was nearly palpable. It didn’t surprise Billy, considering who was speaking. 

“Buckley, fancy seeing you here.” 

She rolled her eyes. It was her default move when she was around Billy. It was all for show, though. he knew she liked him, deep down. 

“Heather’s not here?” 

“No. Dentist appointment.” 

“Oh. She didn’t tell me.” Robin pouted like a five-year old. 

Ah! She wasn’t so smug anymore. 

Billy would have been amused at Robin’s reaction, but the fact she hadn’t known about Heather’s appointment mainly made him suspicious. She claimed she had told Billy about the appointment the week before, but she hadn’t told her friend, whom she had a big fat crush on? Billy wasn’t buying it. Of course, telling her coworker, who’d have to cover for her, seemed more important than telling her crush she wouldn’t be seeing her, but Billy knew better. Heather was so head-over-heels for Robin it wasn’t even funny anymore. If she didn’t do something about it soon, Billy would go nuts. She was always yapping about Robin, and she was so distracted in her presence that she had once dropped a plate of cupcakes Billy had just worked his ass off to finish before the Saturday afternoon rush. She was a menace. 

“Would you like to order something anyway, or?” He asked Robin. 

“Yeah, sure, I’m actually waiting for a friend. I’ll take a piece of apple pie and an Earl Grey tea, please.” 

Billy had already had an inkling of what she was going to order, because Heather had raved to him about Robin’s favorite food and drinks several times before, but he chose not to disclose that piece of information. He was a good friend like that. 

“Coming right up.” 

While he was cutting the pie, the bell chimed again. 

“Oh, here’s my friend. Hey dingus!” 

Billy looked up briefly and did a double take. He had to make a conscious effort to not let his jaw hang open. The man who had just come in was gorgeous, and exactly Billy’s type. He looked so pretty in his preppy knitted sweater, it nearly gave Billy heartburn. 

Billy had come out of the kitchen with his dirty apron still on, and he was almost certain there was some chocolate frosting on his left cheekbone. He could feel it itching. He was cursed.

“Hey Rob.” Pretty boy hugged Robin and then turned to Billy. 

His warm brown eyes widened, making him resemble a deer caught in the headlights. Billy only then realized he’d been staring at him intensely. You know, like a fucking creep. 

Billy looked away and cleared his throat. 

“What can I get you?” His voice sounded strained, but it would have to do. 

“Er… A Mocha and a piece of chocolate cake, please.” 

“Sure thing.” 

Billy prepared the order, keeping his gaze fixed on the task at hand. He couldn’t look at Pretty boy, lest he make a bigger fool of himself. 

He rang Robin and her friend up, and only then could he bring himself to look up… which ended up being a mistake, considering he had to watch, horrified, as Pretty boy poured a shit ton of sugar in his mocha. 

“How about some coffee in your sugar?” Billy asked in a deadpan voice. 

He didn’t mean to be rude. Billy was a ‘live and let live’ kind of guy, and he was more amused than offended by Pretty boy’s tastes, even if the mere thought of drinking such a concoction was enough to nauseate him. However, he couldn’t help that his tone was curt when he addressed him. First, Billy had to interact with the customers without having had time to mentally prepare for it beforehand (yes Heather had supposedly given him a whole week to ready himself, but he hadn’t quite caught her warning so it hadn’t been of much use), and second, he was out of sorts because of how hot the guy was. The truth was that, if Billy could usually charm the pants off of anyone, he was absolutely useless when it came to men he really did find attractive. Life was a bitch, sometimes. 

“Wh-what?” Pretty boy stammered. 

“You’re aware mochas have a fair amount of sugar already blended in them, right?”

Billy feared he’d get diabetes just from watching Pretty boy drink this monstrous beverage. It was basically caffeinated sugar at this point. 

“Yeah, and what about it?” He replied, his words sounding like a challenge, before he took a sip and then licked off the whipped cream stuck on his upper lip (‘kill me right now, why don’t you?’ Billy thought). 

“Nothing. It’s just… diabetes is a serious issue and healthcare isn’t cheap in this country.”  
Billy’s conversation skills had unsurprisingly flown out the window, but it was a new low. Here he was, spewing ominous bullshit and stating political facts. What next? A debate? What the fuck.

“I’m very healthy, thank you very much.” 

Billy thankfully restrained from replying “for now”. Pretty boy was scowling a bit, nonetheless. Billy’s chances with him had most probably flown out the window too, right along his aforementioned skills. 

Pretty boy took the tray with his and Robin’s order on it and went to one of the tables near the windows, pretty close to the register. 

Robin stayed behind and stared at Billy with an arched eyebrow, making him squirm. 

“Was there something else you wanted, Buckley?” He asked, just so she’d snap out of it. 

“No. I’m all set. Thanks.” She narrowed her eyes before turning away from Billy and joining Pretty boy at the table he had picked. 

Billy then proceeded to stalk Pretty boy. He could have gone back to the kitchen, since there was no other customer, but he would have to pass up staring at such beauty, and that wouldn’t do (especially since it was the first and probably last time he got to stare at it). So, he pretended to busy himself with wiping the already immaculate counter clean, like a neat freak, while he threw glances at him.

Pretty boy still looked slightly worked up, somehow managing to make everything he did look aggressive, be it taking a sip of his mocha, putting his cup down, or stabbing the poor piece of chocolate cake with his fork. 

Before he could start eating, though, Robin held his hand back. Billy then heard her advise him to cleanse his palate with a sip of her tea so the overly sugary taste of the mocha wouldn’t make the cake taste like nothing in comparison. And bless her for that piece of advice because, after Pretty boy had done as he had been told, when he finally put the first bite in his mouth, his reaction was priceless. His scowl disappeared from his face, his beautiful eyes widened again and he outright moaned. 

The sound did things to Billy, and he had to bite his lower lip so he wouldn’t make a noise of his own. That would have been embarrassing, and Billy had embarrassed himself enough with his ineptitude at making conversation like a functional member of society. 

When they left, Robin threw a “See ya, Hargrove” above her shoulder, and Pretty boy didn’t say anything, preferring to glare at him. He was still mad, then. Billy pouted. As soon as the door had closed behind them, he fetched a chocolate chip cookie from the display case and took a huge bite out of it. It tasted good (duh, he had baked it), but it didn’t magically dissipate his disappointment as he had hoped it would. 

This day really sucked, uh? 

*

The next day, Heather came to work in an overly chipper mood, unlike Billy. 

“Damn, what crawled up your ass and died?” 

Billy growled “nothing” while tying his apron. 

“Why the long face, then?” 

“I don’t see what you mean.” He mumbled, before changing the subject. “Why are you so cheerful, yourself?” 

“I got tickets for this band Robin likes! They weren’t available on the band’s website, so I had to wait in line yesterday to buy them. I’m gonna ask her on a date to their concert the second she passes this door.” Heather said, gesturing to the café’s entrance. 

“So, there wasn’t any dentist appointment! I knew it!” 

“Yeah, sorry I lied. I didn’t want you to mention it by mistake when Robin was there, so I came up with the appointment thing. I shouldn’t have bothered, though, since you weren’t listening to me anyway. But whatever.” 

So, that explained why Robin hadn’t known Heather wouldn’t come to work, even though they were texting almost constantly. 

Billy was glad Heather would finally get it together and ask Robin out after months of pining. He was also jealous that she had more game than he did, but he chose to ignore that part. 

“Robin will be over the moon, I’m sure. She was here yesterday. Asked for you.” Billy informed, as he was taking the ingredients out for a millionaire shortbread. 

“I know, she called me in the evening to ask me how it went at the dentist’s. I felt bad about lying to her, but it was for the greater good.” 

“Mmh.” 

“What was that with Steve, by the way?” 

Billy briefly wondered if he had missed part of the conversation again. 

“Who the hell is Steve?” 

“Robin’s friend? The one that was here with her yesterday.” 

Oh, so Pretty boy’s name was Steve. 

“Right. Steve. What about him?” 

“Well, you tell me. Robin said you were acting rude, and now Steve thinks you hate him. Steve is a sweetheart, you can’t hate him. Plus, it’ll make him all sad and miserable, and then Robin will be in a bad mood because of it. So, behave!” 

“Okay, so I wasn’t the nicest. I was pissed off that you had abandoned me. But I don’t hate Steve. That’s a gross overstatement. I don’t even know him.” Also, Billy thought Steve was the prettiest thing he had ever seen and was pretty certain he had a crush on him, but he certainly didn’t say THAT to Heather. He would never hear the end of it. 

“Yeah well, be nicer next time he comes by. Or stay in your kitchen like the goblin you are.”

“Sure, whatever. Don’t you have some work to do?” Billy asked so she would lay off his case. 

When she had finally left the kitchen, Billy thought about Steve, as he had been doing non-stop since he had met him the day before. He couldn’t believe he had already ruined everything. They had said like… four words to each other and now Steve thought Billy hated him. How had he fucked up that quickly? That must have been a record. 

He groaned and poured the flour in the mixing bowl with such aggravation that he spilt about a third of it on the table. He was useless!

Billy kept dropping ingredients and kitchen tools all over the place, and bumping into everything, until Heather interrupted the disaster that was his day, asking him to manage the counter while she talked to Robin. 

When he exited his cave, he was surprised to see that Steve had come with Robin again and was the next customer in line. 

Billy was silently trying to come up with an apology. It couldn’t be that hard. He’d say: “Pretty Boy…” no, “Steve”… no, he wasn’t supposed to know his name… Er… “Man”. Right, Billy would say. “Man, I’m sorry about yesterday, I was in a bad mood.” And that would be all. Easy. 

Billy reached the counter and opened his mouth to apology, but Steve didn’t let him. 

“Hi. I’ll take a snickerdoodle and hot chocolate with extra whipped cream and marshmallows, please and thank you.” He was staring right into Billy’s eyes when he gave his order. His own brown eyes were glinting. His left hip was cocked and his arms were crossed over his chest, his fingers tapping rhythmically on his arms. 

Oh, so that was how Pretty boy was going to play it. 

“No problemo.” Billy nearly cringed at how lame he was. Why was he saying stuff like that? It wasn’t even correct Spanish. He was nearly fluent in the language, so he knew that perfectly well. He sounded like a lame dad, which was not really the vibe he was going for. 

Once he got his order, Steve proceeded to pour an insane amount of sugar in his hot chocolate. Billy was not surprised, but still disgusted. This was indecent. 

Billy took care of the next customer, and the one after that, and the one after that. He was starting to wonder what was taking Heather so long with Robin. She was keeping her from Pretty boy, who was all alone at their table. The poor thing. 

When there was a lull, Billy went to the break room and found Heather and Robin making out. Of course, they were. Billy rolled his eyes but didn’t interrupt them, choosing instead to go back to the counter. Let it not be said that he was a bad friend, after that. 

Steve had chosen the same table as the day before, and was facing Billy, just as he had then. At first, he wasn’t touching his drink or food, certainly waiting for Robin. A good fifteen minutes passed before he called it quits and started eating. He moaned again, not giving a fuck that he was in public (which made the noise that had just come out of Steve very inappropriate). Why was he torturing Billy like this? And he’d said to Robin that Billy hated him? Uh, uh, no sir. It had to be the other way around. 

When Steve took his first sip of hot chocolate, the extra whipped cream painted his upper lip white. But, this time, he didn’t wipe it away with his tongue, and Billy so badly wanted to lick it off himself. Pretty boy would be the death of him. 

When Robin and Steve left, this time, the latter wished Billy a nice day. Well, Heather was there too… so maybe it had just been addressed to her. At best, it had been for the both of them. Still, Billy would take it. 

While they cleaned the shop after closing, Heather waxed poetic about Robin. That was nothing new, however. She had already been doing plenty of that in the pining stage of their relationship. Billy listened absentmindedly, with his own head full of Steve and his lush hair and his pretty lips and his eyes, which had been full of mischief earlier that day. 

He only regained awareness of his surroundings when he got hit in the chest with Heather’s balled up apron. 

“I’m leaving, dumbass. See you tomorrow.”

“See you.” 

*

Steve came to the Upside-Down regularly, after that, with Robin but also on his own. Billy was often in the kitchen when Steve came by, so he always had to find an excuse to get behind the counter, even if only for a brief moment, in order to catch a glimpse of him. 

Heather caught up pretty quickly, of course.

“You like him.” 

“Uh. What? Who?” 

“Steve. You like him.” She whispered. 

Billy had just come out of the kitchen, in the pretense of bringing a batch of muffins to the shop. In fact, the batch had been ready for an hour, and Billy had waited for Steve to arrive (he came almost every Wednesday) to bring it out. 

And now Heather was saying Billy liked him when he was sitting a few meters away. 

Billy shushed her without even trying to deny her claim. He knew not to fight a losing battle. 

“Don’t worry. He’s grading his pupils’ papers. He’s like… in another world.” 

Steve indeed looked engrossed by the sheets that were in front of him, holding a red pen in his right hand, ready to annotate them. And, oh God, he was wearing thick black-rimmed glasses. Billy couldn’t tear his eyes away. 

“Jesus. You’ve got it bad!” Heather sounded delighted. 

“Shut up”, Billy whined, still not denying it. The truth was what it was. 

“Why didn’t you say so sooner? I would have helped you out.” 

That was precisely one of the reasons why he had not told her. He didn’t need a wing-woman. Well, he did. But, he wouldn’t be caught dead asking for one. 

*

He ended up with one, anyway. Now, every time Steve came by, Heather would make Billy get his order. Thankfully, Steve didn’t seem to notice the stratagem. 

He must have been too occupied coming up with more and more outrageous drink choices. One day, he went as far as to ask for a white hot chocolate with extra whipped cream, marshmallows, and caramel drizzle. Billy all but gagged while making it. And Steve had the gall to add sugar. He was deranged! An honest to God maniac! 

Billy was surprised Steve’s blood hadn’t yet crystalized with all the sugar he consumed. 

“Anything else, pretty boy?” He asked, only noticing his slip-up when he saw Steve’s eyes get wide as saucers. 

Billy couldn’t be held accountable for his mistake, alright? Steve really was pretty. Extremely pretty. Also, Billy kept calling him Pretty boy in his head ever since they had met, and he was so appalled by the drink Steve had just ordered that his brain-to-mouth filter was momentarily out of order. Sue him. He was only human. 

“I… er… well… I… I’ll try today’s special. Thanks.” Steve stammered. 

Everyday, Billy baked something that wasn’t usually on the menu. Today, it was a banana-chocolate cream pie. 

As he put the piece of pie on Steve’s tray, Billy added: 

“Here you go, sweet thing.” Because he had noticed Steve’s cheeks going beet red when he had called him pretty boy, and therefore he couldn’t help but think he might have a chance, after all. 

Steve opened and closed his mouth a few times, apparently at a loss, before he thanked Billy and went to his usual table, nearly tripping on thin air on the way. 

Billy was exulting, until he heard labored breathing and saw Steve struggling. What the hell was going on? 

Billy went to him as fast as he could. 

“Steve, what’s wrong?” 

“I’m allergic to bananas.” 

Oh God. Oh God, this was bad. This was so bad. 

Billy took his cellphone out of his right back pocket and immediately dialed 911.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that's it for the first part. As I said in the tags, I might switch to Steve's POV in the second part, and there might be smut, but I don't know because my relation to it as a fanfic writer is conflictual lmao. I'd be happy to hear your opinion on those matters and on the first part as well of course ;)
> 
> You can come yell at me about Harringrove (or about whatever you want ah ah) on Tumblr at https://lightsupinthenorth.tumblr.com/ I'd be super happy to make some internet friends C=
> 
> Thanks a lot for reading!


	2. Sugar, ah honey, honey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a lot for the kudos and to the person who commented. It means a lot :D 
> 
> Here is the second part, featuring Steve being a pining idiot.

Steve couldn’t believe he had forgotten to ask what was in the special before ordering it… and taking a huge bite of it, just because he had been flustered that his crush (that Steve thought totally unrequited until then) was flirting with him. It hadn’t helped that Billy had put the banana layer under the chocolate, so Steve hadn’t noticed there was one before it was literally in his mouth, trying to kill him. Steve felt betrayed. Baked goods were supposed to be his friends. 

Billy waited with him after calling 911. He looked calm enough, but he was holding Steve’s hand very tightly. In any other circumstance, Steve would have been delighted about that, but his throat was swollen, and he was struggling to breathe, so it wasn’t the best time. 

Thankfully, the paramedics arrived quickly and injected Steve with epinephrine. They took him to the hospital, and Billy rode with him in the ambulance, never letting go of his hand. His eyes looked suspiciously shiny. 

“Hey, I’ll be fine, Billy. They’re just taking me to the hospital for observation. That’s the usual procedure after an anaphylactic reaction. Thankfully, my parents insist on paying for an overpriced insurance in my name, so I’ve got it covered.” 

They were doing it mostly to patronize Steve for choosing a job that didn’t have “good benefits”, unlike a job at his father’s company would have, but Billy didn’t need to hear about that. 

“That… that’s good.” Billy exhaled shakily. “It was fucking scary.” 

“I know, but it’s okay now.”

“No, it’s not. I’m sorry, I should have told you what the special was.” 

“Come on, I’m the one responsible, obviously. I should have asked. I generally remember to, I was just distracted.” 

“So, it is my fault: you didn’t think to ask because I was messing with you.” 

Oh… so that was all it had been? Billy had just been messing with him? Steve should have known, really. Billy had probably caught on to Steve’s crush and thought he’d have a little fun. 

That thought was nearly as much as a bummer as the allergic reaction. 

“Look, Billy, it was all an accident, and it was my fault. You couldn’t possibly have known.” 

“If you say so…” Billy replied, but he didn’t look convinced. 

The rest of the trip to the hospital was spent in silence. Steve was busy enjoying the feel of Billy’s hand in his while he still could, since he was pretty sure it wouldn’t happen again, and Billy was seemingly lost in thought. 

At the hospital, Billy texted Robin to let her know about what had happened and he informed Steve she’d be there soon. 

When she arrived, Billy apologized again (the stubborn bastard) and bid Steve goodbye. Steve whished he’d stay, but now that Robin was there he had no reason to. It was nice enough that he had interrupted his work day to accompany Steve in the first place. 

“Stop pouting, it’s unbecoming.” Robin told him. 

Steve hadn’t even noticed he was making a face. 

“Cut me some slack, I could have died today.” 

She rolled her eyes. “That’s a low blow, dingus.” 

It might have been, but Steve didn’t care. He was feeling miserable. 

“So, what happened?” Robin asked.

Steve cleared his throat. “Uh… well… I… Turns out there were bananas in today’s special…” 

“And how come you weren’t aware of that? I’m sure Billy knows what ingredients he puts in his baking.” 

Steve wanted to lie to save himself from the embarrassing truth, but he couldn’t come up with any explanation. He was tired, alright? 

“I… I didn’t ask… what was in it.” 

“How in the world did you forget something so important?” 

Could Robin give him a break? He’d just gone through a traumatic experience. She was being mean! Steve crossed his arms over his chest. 

“My mind was somewhere else.” That’s it Steve, stay vague. You’ve got this. 

Robin arched an eyebrow. “Where was that, exactly?” 

Ugh, she wouldn’t let it go. 

“Well… Billy might have somehow flirted with me, and it got me flustered. What can I say? I’m just a man. You can’t blame me.” 

Robin sighed. “Ah, Steve. My dear friend. My favorite dingus. You are a disaster.” 

“That’s rude.” Steve whined.

“Maybe, but that’s also true.” 

He didn’t have anything to say in his defense. It really was true. 

“Billy flirted with you though. That’s good!” 

Robin had known Steve was crushing on Billy ever since Steve himself knew (which was to say, since the moment he met Billy). 

“Not really. He only flirted as a joke, so…” 

“What makes you say that?” 

“The fact that Billy explicitly said he was messing with me, for starters.” 

“Oh… That’s weird.” 

Robin looked confused, which was new. Steve had never seen her confused about anything. Unlike himself, Robin seemed to know what she was doing at all time. She generally had things figured out, and Steve was lowkey impressed by that. 

“Why?” 

“Oh… uh… It’s just… I had the feeling Billy liked you back, is all.” 

Steve scoffed. 

“As if. Have you met him? He barely tolerates me, on good days.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous, Steve. Sure, he can be a bit gruff sometimes, but that doesn’t mean he ‘barely tolerates’ you. Don’t be overdramatic.” 

“I’m not.” Steve denied half-heartedly. He didn’t know why he even bothered. 

*

After the allergy incident, Steve steered clear of the Upside-Down café, no matter how many times Robin tried to drag him there. He pretended not to miss it, but he did: he’d been moping for weeks. 

He needed sugar as well as his weekly dose of Billy. He could get the sugar somewhere else, but it just wouldn’t be the same. Billy made the best treats. Steve would die for one of his cinnamon rolls right now. He groaned. 

Robin, who was sprawled on the couch next to him, reading a book while Steve was grading papers, sighed loudly. 

“Ugh, I’ve had it with you, dingus. Just get your ass to the Upside-Down and talk to Billy. You’ve been miserable for ages and I can’t stand it anymore.” 

She was shooting daggers at Steve with her eyes. 

“Rob, we’ve been over this… I just can’t. I’m too embarrassed. I mean, the guy mock-flirted with me and it made me so dumb I forgot to ask about allergens. He left work to come with me to the hospital, just because he felt obligated or something. That’s mortifying. I can’t ever face him again.” 

“And here you are, being overdramatic again.” 

Steve stuck his tongue out at her, behaving as maturely as one of his pupils. 

*

Steve ended up caving. Robin was nothing if not persistent. The fact that Steve missed the Upside-Down’s baked goods acted in her favor. 

It went surprisingly fine. Heather was at the counter, as she almost always was, and Billy didn’t come out of the kitchen while Robin and Steve were there. Steve was slightly disappointed, but mostly relieved. Robin, however, was in a sour mood. 

“What’s with you?” Steve asked, simultaneously stuffing his face with food. It was even better than he remembered. 

“Nothing… I’m just annoyed.”

“Is there something wrong with you and Heather?” 

Their interaction earlier had sounded a bit stilted. 

“You know what? Yes, there is. I’m going to talk to her to… you know… clear the air. If you don’t mind…” 

“Of course, I don’t mind. Go for it.” Steve said, taking another bite of his cinnamon roll. 

Robin went behind the counter and started whispering frantically with Heather. 

Steve swore he heard them mentioning some guy. Were they fighting because of a man? No, there was no way. Robin and Heather were the gayest girls to ever gay, and they were also made for each other, so it didn’t compute. 

At some point, they both turned toward Steve, which made him realize he’d been staring. He averted his eyes and hid his face in his giant hot chocolate cup, nearly chocking on the liquid. 

They got back to whispering for a few seconds and then stopped abruptly. Robin came back to their table and sat down heavily. 

“I take it you didn’t solve the issue?” 

“Not really, no. But we’re going solve it, alright.” Robin replied. 

Well, that was enigmatic. Either that or Steve had missed something. It wouldn’t be the first time… 

“Ok… good for you, I guess?”

“You’ve got some icing on your chin, dingus.” Robin pointed out, effectively changing the subject. 

Steve blushed and rubbed his chin with the back of his hand. He was lucky Billy, whom he was still very much crushing on despite everything, had not been there to witness that. Not that it would change much, since Steve’s chances were already ruined (or, more accurately, had been nonexistent to begin with)… but still, Steve had dealt with enough embarrassment where Billy was concerned. 

*

Steve started going to the Upside-Down regularly again. At first, he would only go once in a while, and only if Robin went with him, but the frequency of his visits increased when he felt confident that he wouldn’t see Billy. He never came out of the kitchen when Steve was there. 

Either Steve’s allergy had made him realize Steve was a disaster from which he’d better stay far away, or it was a coincidence that Billy was occupied when Steve came to the café. The first option was more probable, unfortunately. 

And, Steve was mostly fine, even if he missed seeing Billy. The food was still great, and Heather was nice, and at least no one judged him for the amount of sugar he poured in his hot beverages… or if they did, they did it discreetly. 

However, it came to a head, one day. One very bad, terrible day. One of Steve’s pupils had broken his leg during recess, which was awful enough, but then the other kids had been unable to concentrate for the rest of the day, whispering among themselves and fidgeting continuously. Steve couldn’t blame them for that, but he was exhausted, nonetheless. And he was as shaken up as his pupils, after the accident. By the end of the day, he was barely functioning. He had tripped on his undone shoelaces and snapped his glasses in two (he had fixed them with tape, but the result left a lot to be desired), and he had a cut on his forehead from when he hit it on his desk after picking up the pen he had dropped on the floor. 

Steve was more than ready for this hellish day to be over, but no such luck. His parents insisted he ate dinner with them on the fifteenth of each month, which was precisely that day. They’d proceed to pretend caring about him while criticizing him at every turn, and all that through a seemingly unending meal. It was the same damn thing, every month. Steve didn’t know why he still showed up. It must have had to do with his aversion to conflict. 

Steve would never survive this without caffeine, so he stopped at the Upside-Down on his way home from work. 

“Wow, what the hell happened to you?”

He knew he looked a bit worse for wear, but it couldn’t be that bad. Could it?

“Hi, Heather.” 

“Oh yeah, sorry, hi Steve. Are you okay?” Concern was etched upon her face. 

“Yeah… I’m fine.” Steve lied. “It was just a rough day.”

“Certainly looks that way... What can I get you to make it better?” 

“Er, double expresso, please.” 

Heather looked even more concerned as she rang Steve up. That was far off from what he usually ordered, so he didn’t blame her for being puzzled. He was tired, and depressed, and just needed a boost to go through dinner with his parents without a nervous breakdown. He simply couldn’t be bothered to come up with anything more elaborate, and, anyway, he couldn’t really order a pastry and hot chocolate barely an hour before he was expected to eat a five-course meal. 

“Okay, go sit down, I’ll bring it to you.” 

“Thank you.” 

Steve went to his usual table, and he definitely heard it when Heather went to the kitchen and yelled at Billy to come see Steve. He also heard Billy answer in a lower voice that he just couldn’t. 

It wasn’t as if Steve didn’t know Billy didn’t want to see him, but hearing him say it, especially now, was like a punch to the gut. At least, before, Steve could pretend Billy didn’t hate him.

When Heather brought him his double expresso, Steve thanked her again. And, if his voice cracked, it was nobody’s business but his. 

“No problem, honey.” She said with a sad smile. 

Great. Now, she was pitying him. Because Steve was pitiful. 

Once she was back behind the counter, Steve took a sip of his drink and instantly regretted not ordering something with ten times more sugar in it (and to hell with dinner at his parents’). 

Oh no. 

Now he was crying. 

Brilliant. That was just brilliant. 

Steve started dabbing his face with a napkin, but the tears kept coming uncontrollably. He was going to get up and leave, because crying in public was not part of his plans for the day (and too many things had gone off plan already), but he was prevented from doing so when Billy put a tray on the table and sat in front of him. On the tray, there were a huge piece of lemon meringue pie, a cup of hot chocolate with extra whipped cream and marshmallows, and a sugar bowl. 

Steve cried even harder. Nice gestures made him cry, sometimes. Especially when he was not in top shape.

“No, no, please don’t cry, Steve. It was meant to cheer you up, not make it worse.” 

Billy pushed the tray toward him. 

“Come on, eat up. Everything is banana-free, I promise.” 

Steve laughed through his tears. 

“Thanks. That’s nice of you.” 

“I mean… I basically had to, Steve. Your order was too depressing. Like, a double expresso? Really? That’s not you.” Billy joked. 

“Yeah… I have to agree with you here. What you brought is much better.” 

Steve pulled the tray all the way to himself and took a bite of the pie. It tasted delicious, unsurprisingly.

“Man, that’s not fair. That’s just too good.” 

“Uh, thank you.” Was that a blush on Billy’s face? Mh, no, probably not. It must have been a trick of the light. “So… what’s with the double expresso?” 

Steve understood Billy’s question as what it was: a nice way of asking why he had broken down crying in the middle of the Upside-Down. 

“Some shit happened at the school I work at. It was not the best day, is all. And now I have to go to my parents’ house for our monthly dinner, and I hate it. Hence the double expresso. I needed caffeine.” 

“I see… That’s rough, man. Do you want to talk about it?” 

“Maybe another time.” Steve would surely start crying again if he had to expand on the events of that day. 

“Okay. Did you think to disinfect that cut on your forehead?” 

“Oh, yes. One of my coworkers did it for me.” It had stung like a bitch, too, but what could you do? 

“That’s good, Pretty boy.” 

“Don’t call me that.” The words were out of Steve’s mouth before his brain could catch up with his mouth. 

“Oh… sure. Sorry.” Billy passed a hand in his curls. “Do you want me to go?” 

“No, no… I didn’t mean to snap, I’m sorry. I just don’t like it when you call me this, but we’re fine as long as you don’t.” 

It was only half a lie. Indeed, if Steve did like the nickname itself, he didn’t appreciate Billy using it as a joke. There was no need to rub Steve’s crush in his face. Steve didn’t understand Billy’s deal. One second he was really sweet, bringing him hot chocolate and pie to cheer him up, and the next he’d call Steve Pretty boy as if he hadn’t admitted he’d come up with the nickname just to mess with him. 

“I won’t.” 

Not wanting to let an awkward silence settle, Steve asked Billy about his day. Billy then proceeded to tell him about the annoying customer they had a few hours earlier. It successfully distracted Steve from his horrendous day until he had to go, lest he arrive late to his parents’, which would without a doubt warrant a lecture from his father, as if Steve was sixteen instead of twenty-five. 

That evening, as Steve’s father ranted for the umpteenth time about his job, Steve only had to think about the blue of Billy’s eyes to make his frustration and feeling of inadequacy evaporate like smoke. 

*

After Steve’s breakdown, Billy started coming out of the kitchen again to see Robin and Steve when they were at the Upside-Down. Steve and he were friendly to each other, and it was somewhat worse than when they never saw each other. This was torture. Billy was here but still out of reach, and Steve was pining. That was what Robin said. She was right, but Steve would not admit it. He wouldn’t give her the satisfaction. Pettiness was his only comfort, so he didn’t plan on reigning it in. 

“Come on Steve, you should just tell him you like him.” 

“Are you nuts? Why would I ever do that?” 

“Well, at least you’ll know for sure.” 

“I can’t be any surer than I am right now, Rob.” 

“Ugh! Like, yeah you’re sure, but you’re wrong! You stubborn bastard.” 

Steve rolled his eyes. Robin kept saying he might have misread the signs, but she had no proof of that. Or, if she had, she wasn’t willing to share it with the class. 

“Yeah, okay, I’m wrong. Whatever. At least I have some dignity left.” 

Not much, after the allergy AND the breakdown, but still a little bit more than he would if he confessed his already obvious crush to Billy only to get rejected even more explicitly than before. 

“You’re so infuriating, Steve, I swear.” 

“I love you too.” He just said, getting drinks out of the fridge. 

They were waiting for Heather, whom Robin had invited to their movie night. Steve had not been eager to spend the entire evening third wheeling, but he was reconsidering. At least, Heather would get Robin off his back by taking all of her attention. It sounded perfect, right then. 

At least, that was what Steve thought before he opened his front door to find not only Heather, but also Billy, behind it. 

Robin, that fucking traitor! 

He hid his surprise (probably badly) and invited them inside. As soon as they had their backs turned to him, Steve glared at Robin. He was also pouting, though, so it might have ruined his attempt at expressing his righteous anger. 

“Sorry for tagging along… Heather said you didn’t mind. I brought cranberry white chocolate chips cookies, and also chocolate truffles.” Billy said, putting the two boxes he was carrying on the kitchen table. 

Okay, so Steve had indeed not hidden his surprise well. 

“Uh… yeah, yeah, of course it’s fine. Thanks for bringing food. It sounds delicious.” Steve rushed out the words, speaking a tad too fast. 

Once the pizza Steve and Robin had ordered arrived, they all went to the living-room and set the food and drinks on the coffee table. 

“Oooh, we’re watching Lights Out? That’s cool. I wanted to watch it for a long time but never got around to it.” Heather said. 

Billy’s face lost all color. 

“Oh… right. That’s… cool.” His voice was slightly higher than usual. 

“Are you sure? We can watch something else, if you’re not into that kind of things.” 

High-school Steve would have made fun of Billy for being a sissy. Fuck high-school Steve, though. That guy was a grade A asshole. 

“Yeah, I’m sure. It’s fine.” Billy assured in a clipped tone. 

Steve hoped he hadn’t offended him with his question. It was the opposite of his goal. 

Heather and Robin curled up together in Steve’s big, comfy chair, which left the couch to Billy and him. Steve tried to focus on the movie, but at first he was more focused on the food, and then he was more focused on Billy, who was sitting straight and looked pretty tense overall. 

Every time a loud sound came from the tv, or something appeared suddenly on the screen, Billy would startle. Of course, it was the point of jumpscares, but Billy’s reactions were more violent than most people’s. 

“Are you okay, Billy?” 

“Yes. Just the fucking jumpscares… they’re annoying.” 

Steve wasn’t convinced Billy was alright, but he kept silent. He didn’t want to put Billy on the spot by insisting. 

About halfway through, Billy announced he was going for a smoke break and declined Heather’s offer to pause the movie. Steve waited a minute, at most, before following Billy outside. He found him sitting on the front steps of his building, without a cigarette in sight. 

“Hey… Sorry I followed you.” 

“It’s okay. I… I should have agreed when you suggested we watch something else. I just thought I’d be fine, for once. It’s just a movie, you know. But, like, I’m just too jumpy to deal with this kind of movies. I don’t like loud noises and shit.” 

Billy was bouncing his right leg. Steve sat down next to him on the stairs and put his hand over his knee to settle him. 

“I get it, you don’t have to explain yourself. Jumpscares are a cheap way to frighten the audience, anyway. We could have gone for a better movie. We can get back to the flat and watch something else if you want, I’m sure the girls won’t mind.” 

“Thank you, but that’s not necessary. I’m going to stay here a while. The fresh air is nice.” Billy assured him. 

“You want me to leave you alone?”

“I’d rather you stay, pretty boy, but it’s up to you.” 

“Here you go again with that nickname.” 

Steve took his hand off Billy’s knee. 

“Shit, sorry.” He looked sheepish. 

“Look, I don’t want to make a big deal out of this, but it kind of is a big deal to me. I just think it’s mean.” Steve said. 

He wanted to get this out of the way, so Billy and he could really become friends. Friendship was better than nothing. 

“What? Why mean?” 

Billy was frowning. 

“Well, you know I have a crush on you… I mean, you pretended to flirt with me once and I basically lost all common sense, so there’s no way you don’t know. So, I think it’s really a dick move to call me… call me that, when you clearly don’t like me back.” 

Steve had gotten worked up. It was a stupid thing to get worked up over, but his frustration had to find an out, at some point. 

“Hold on, hold on a sec. Who told you I don’t like you back?” Billy’s tone was full of disbelief.

“Well, uh, you did. At the hospital. You said that you were messing with me when you flirted before I had my allergic reaction, remember?” 

“I didn’t mean I was just pretending to flirt with you, Steve, what the fuck? I said I messed with you because I noticed you were flustered, and I made it worse by continuing to flirt… But it was no joke. Truth is, the first time I called you Pretty boy, it just slipped out… because I keep calling you that in my mind since I met you.” 

Billy was now kneeling in front of Steve on the steps, with both his hands on Steve’s knees. 

Steve had so many questions, but one of them needed an answer more urgently than the others: 

“Can I kiss you?” 

“Can eagles fly, Pretty boy?”

Steve was going to tell him to shut up, because Billy was being obnoxious, but he figured that joining their lips would be far more effective, and far more pleasant. So, he bent down to kiss Billy, who instantly put a hand in Steve’s hair. 

Steve had been planning on keeping it chaste, but it didn’t happen that way. As soon as his lips were on Billy’s, his restraint went up in flames. He’d been longing to do that ever since he had laid eyes on Billy, after all. And his lips were so soft, and they felt so good. He deepened the kiss, making Billy moan. He’d be very satisfied about that fact if he wasn’t too occupied getting lost in Billy. 

“Fuck, Pretty boy, you’ll be the death of me.” Billy said in a husky voice when they separated to catch their breath. 

“Well, I think I’ve died already and now I’m in heaven.” 

Billy gasped. 

“Steve, that was so cheesy.” He was smiling. 

“You can’t complain. You started it.”

“I wasn’t complaining”, Billy assured, before going back to kissing Steve. 

Heather, who had been sent by Robin to check up on them, found them in the exact same spot an hour later. 

“Thank God, you guys finally got your heads out of your asses. I was starting to lose hope you ever would.” Heather said. 

Steve blushed and Billy rolled his eyes. 

“Okay… so, you might have been right.”

“I might have been?” Heather arched an eyebrow. 

“Okay, you definitely were….” Billy huffed. “I’m never going to hear the end of this, am I?” 

“Nope.”

Steve could have had the exact same conversation with Robin, so he couldn’t help but laugh. 

“I mean… I did have to listen to you pine for ages. Oh, Heather, I can’t speak to Steve anymore, I nearly killed him last time. I’m a menace. And then: no Heather, I can’t be more than friends with him, it makes him uncomfortable when I flirt with him, he asked me not to do it anymore, oh but he’s so pretty, oh and his hair looks so soft, and his eyes are so big… Ugh, you were the worst.” 

Billy hid his face in his hands and groaned, probably embarrassed. He should wait until he heard what Robin had to say about Steve’s own pining. She was a hundred percent going to drag him.

Steve kissed Billy’s temple, which made him stop hiding. 

“Well, it all worked out, in the end.” Billy said, looking into Steve’s eyes. 

“Oh no… You’re gonna be so sickeningly sweet, aren’t you?” Heather looked like she was discovering a flaw in her plan. 

“You bet.” Steve confirmed, not looking away from Billy’s eyes. 

It made sense for them to be overly sweet, after all, considering how they had met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope you liked it ^^ 
> 
> I've never set foot in the United States, so all I know about healthcare, I know indirectly and not from experience, so I hope what I wrote at the begining wasn't total bulshit (same for allergies tbh, I'm not allergic to anything fortunately :)). 
> 
> Come tell me hi on Tumblr if you want :) https://lightsupinthenorth.tumblr.com/


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